Help with Bug ID! Are these Springtails?
I'm noticing them more around my plant pot rims and drain holes at watering time — it was really wet a couple weeks ago so they multiplied quickly and now it's dry so they are finding my plants to dwell in...
They don't cause a ton of damage but can multiple quickly and eat some healthy plant roots when there are a lot of them which will cause leaf drop esp in younger plants... It's debatable if you should get rid of them as they eat fungi and mold, which can help plants...
But then I found some in my home 🏡 - my kitchen which I don't love. 😐😤
I'm gonna treat them with cedar and clove essential oils - just wanted a second ID to be 100% sure I'm not dealing with something else.
#succulentsquad #succulentlove #greggang #help #pestcontrol #pestid #plantaddict
Thanks!
They don't cause a ton of damage but can multiple quickly and eat some healthy plant roots when there are a lot of them which will cause leaf drop esp in younger plants... It's debatable if you should get rid of them as they eat fungi and mold, which can help plants...
But then I found some in my home 🏡 - my kitchen which I don't love. 😐😤
I'm gonna treat them with cedar and clove essential oils - just wanted a second ID to be 100% sure I'm not dealing with something else.
#succulentsquad #succulentlove #greggang #help #pestcontrol #pestid #plantaddict
Thanks!
11
Best Answer
What’s their pattern of movement? Springtails usually… spring 🤣 or seem to jump around. But yes, this does appear to be a springtail as far as a visual ID goes. I also considered thrips, but the body is rounded vs tapered at the end, and isn’t quite as slender as thrips would be, so I feel fairly confident this is a springtail. Hope these screenshots help!
@ESylvanus they are very small my Galaxy S21 canmera is just amazing with close up shots 😏that pic is 7x the actual size. I read that there are a ton of springtail varieties. I'm in southern California, where are you located? 🙂
@PlantingPeace they are a brownish kinda darker grey maybe - but I did read there many varieties of springtails and diff colors - I'm not sure which this one is tho 🤷🏽♀️
@skyhighsplants yes, I included the reference pic from my search in my post. And yes they jump, but only when I try to smush them and I miss lol
@TexanExpat Thank you, John! 🙌🏽
Google lense! I should have thought of that — good lookin' out ! Thanks for the pro ID verification! 👍🏽 🙂 I will proceed with my Essential oil spray on the soil and clean the windowsills with white vinegar now! 😁
Google lense! I should have thought of that — good lookin' out ! Thanks for the pro ID verification! 👍🏽 🙂 I will proceed with my Essential oil spray on the soil and clean the windowsills with white vinegar now! 😁
@roxyvivien Ah, that makes sense, then! It was so clear in the photo, I thought it was a much larger insect 😂
I’m on the East Coast, but yeah, it definitely looks like a springtail, knowing that you’ve got a good zoom 😂
I’m on the East Coast, but yeah, it definitely looks like a springtail, knowing that you’ve got a good zoom 😂
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